Obituary
Dolores Huerta, Farmworker Leader Behind “Sí Se Puede,” Dies at 96
The co-founder of the group that became the United Farm Workers died of cancer at her home in Bakersfield, her family said.
Nation
Government, courts, elections and policy across the United States.
The Iran War
Central Command Estimate Puts Cost of Iran War at $47.1 Billion
The figure, provided to lawmakers, is about $3 billion above the previous estimate and leaves out damage to bases in the Middle East, CBS News reported.
Midterms
Murkowski Endorses Democrat Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska Governor
The Republican senator passed over three GOP candidates, including one endorsed by President Trump, a week before the election, NBC News reported.
Justice Department
Grand Jury Refuses to Indict Cassidy Hutchinson Over Her January 6 Testimony
A federal grand jury in Washington returned a no bill on Tuesday, the latest failed attempt to charge someone the president has called an enemy.
Midterms
Court Dismisses Justice Department Appeal to Set Aside 20,000 California Ballots
A divided panel said the government’s emergency was partly of its own making and sent the fight back to a trial judge, a week before the midterms.
Justice Department
Judge Rules the Justice Department Unlawfully Fired Prosecutor Maurene Comey
A federal judge in Manhattan ordered her reinstated with back pay, rejecting the administration’s claim that it could remove career prosecutors at will. The department says it will appeal.
Midterms
Appeals Judges Sound Doubtful in Rare Sunday Hearing on California Mail Ballots
The Justice Department wants about 20,000 voters’ ballots set aside until their citizenship is checked. Two of three judges questioned whether a federal court can order that so close to Election Day.
Midterms
Early Voting Surges Past 20 Million, but Experts Caution Against Overreading It
Ballots are arriving at a faster pace than in 2022 in several battleground states, and registered Democrats lead among early voters. Analysts say that does not necessarily mean higher turnout overall.
Midterms
Justice Department Sues to Delay Alaska Senate Certification if Sullivan Loses
The suit, filed less than two weeks before Election Day, argues that a second candidate named Sullivan could confuse voters. Election law experts call it an unprecedented and very weak federal intervention.
Midterms
Judge Limits Homeland Security Door-to-Door Voter Checks in Nine States
A federal judge in Oakland found that the agency’s hunt for noncitizen voters likely intimidates citizens and rests on error-prone lists. The order would run through Election Day unless an appeals court steps in.
Supreme Court
Justice Kagan Says Supreme Court Rulings Have Left Democracy Working Less Well
In unusually pointed public remarks, the liberal justice faulted the conservative majority’s decisions on gerrymandering, voting rights, campaign money and presidential power, while rejecting the idea that the court simply does the president’s bidding.
Farm Economy
Trump Announces $8 Billion in Aid to Help Farmers Cover Soaring Diesel Costs
The payments arrive at harvest and two weeks before the midterms, as fuel prices driven up by the war with Iran squeeze growers. Critics say the aid patches over damage from the administration’s own policies.
Midterms
Justice Department Charges 28 California Green Card Holders in Voting Sweep
Federal officials call the case proof that noncitizen voting is a threat. California election officials say the administration is leaning on unverified claims as it tries to hold back thousands of mail ballots two weeks before Election Day.
Russia Sanctions
Rubio Calls Russia Sanctions Waiver a 60-Day Pause as Both Parties Object
The secretary of state said the president wants time to study the economic effects of a law he signed last month, while Trump said he had not made a final decision.
Midterms
No Kings Rallies Turn Toward Early Voting Two Weeks Before the Midterms
Demonstrators gathered Saturday in New York, Washington, Atlanta, Dallas and other cities, and organizers pressed supporters to cast ballots early or by mail rather than only march.
Midterms
Musk Gave $158 Million to Senate Republicans’ Super PAC as Money Flowed to Texas
Federal filings show the Senate Leadership Fund passed matching sums to a group backing Ken Paxton the day after each of Elon Musk’s two September gifts.
Midterms
Justice Department Sues California to Set Aside Ballots of Suspected Noncitizens
The suit follows a 48-hour demand that state and Los Angeles County officials review a list delivered on a password-protected thumb drive. Election officials call the demand legally baseless and say the drive is not a secure way to handle voter data.
Social Security
Social Security Raise of 3.6 Percent for 2027 Is the Largest in Four Years
The average retirement check will grow by about $75 a month starting in January. Advocates say the raise still trails what older Americans spend on health care, rent and energy.
Supreme Court
Supreme Court Agrees to Decide Whether DOGE Must Open Its Records to the Public
The justices took up the Trump administration’s appeal in a watchdog group’s lawsuit seeking documents on how Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team fired workers and canceled contracts. A ruling is expected by the end of June.
Justice Department
Federal Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Home in a Criminal Investigation
The Justice Department confirmed a court-approved warrant but gave no details. Omar called the search an intimidation campaign, three weeks before an election in which she is on the ballot.
Midterms
Judge Orders the Administration to Pull Taxpayer-Funded TV Ads Praising Trump
A two-week restraining order bars the use of Homeland Security money for the spots, which critics call campaign advertising paid for by the public 23 days before the election.
Press Freedom
Justice Department Opens Antitrust Inquiry Into Five TV Networks Over Pool Pause
The networks briefly stopped sharing White House pool coverage after the administration barred CNN. Press advocates called the investigation an attempt to intimidate journalists.
Midterms
Judge Strikes Down Justice Department Policy of Checking Voter Rolls
In a 78-page ruling, a federal judge in Washington said the policy broke privacy and administrative law, relied on unreliable records and had already removed citizens from the rolls.
Justice Department
Justice Department Seeks to Charge Cassidy Hutchinson, Key January 6 Witness
Prosecutors have presented evidence to a grand jury on whether the former White House aide lied to Congress. The case is being run by the Civil Rights Division, an unusual choice.
Midterms
Two Republican Senate Nominees Cite War, Fuel Prices and Tariffs as Drags
Leaked audio shows Ken Paxton telling Texas donors that the Iran war and diesel costs are hurting him, while Michigan’s Mike Rogers ran an ad calling for an end to the trade fight with Canada.
Midterms
After Bipartisan Backlash, Trump Says Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads
The White House says MAGA Inc. will cover the spots from now on, but it has not said whether the government will be repaid for ads that already aired.
Supreme Court
Alito Says He Weighed Retiring as Senate Democrats Signal Resistance to Nominees
The 76-year-old justice said he stayed because he can still contribute, while Democrats seeking a Senate majority suggest a Trump pick might not get through.
Midterms
Trump Promises $90 Medicare Payments to 20 Million Seniors Before the Midterms
The one-time rebates will draw on a little-used Medicare fund and arrive weeks before the Nov. 3 election, while leaving most beneficiaries out.
Congress
Trump Posts What Appears to Be Senator Cotton’s Number in Daylight Time Push
The president urged Arkansans to call their senator, who opposes the House-passed bill over dark winter mornings. With the Senate gone until after the midterms, the measure’s prospects look dim.
Voting
Judge Rules Congress Lacks Power to Make Noncitizen Voting a Federal Crime
A Miami judge dismissed charges against a Florida woman, saying voter qualifications belong to the states. The ruling covers one case but strikes at a law the Justice Department has leaned on before the midterms.
Supreme Court
Supreme Court to Decide Whether Immigrants Can Be Held Without Bond Hearings
The justices took up a Brazilian man’s challenge to the administration’s mandatory detention policy, which most appeals courts have rejected. A ruling is expected by the end of June.
Congress
Senate Democrats Block House-Passed Bill on Data Center Power Costs
The Ratepayer Protection Act fell three votes short of the 60 needed to advance. Democrats called it too weak to protect households, and Republicans said it was the only version that could become law before the election.
Supreme Court
Supreme Court Lets Third-Country Deportations Restart While It Weighs the Policy
The justices set aside a lower-court order requiring notice and a chance to raise fears of torture, and agreed to hear the full case in December. The three liberal justices would have kept the order in place.
Spending Fight
Trump Moves to Cancel $810 Million in Approved Spending as Fiscal Year Runs Out
The White House used a late-year “pocket rescission” that lets money expire before Congress can vote. The Senate’s top Republican appropriator called it unlawful.
